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101 Words

101 Word Short Stories

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A Mercy

July 26, 2022 18 Comments

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In the sculpture museum of Valladolid, the assorted polychromatic saints and saviours gurned in agony or reposed in ecstasy on their crosses, all of them naked but for their wooden loincloths.

Thus, when he came across a crucified woman, he was struck by the fact that she was clothed in a pretty high-collared dress. He checked the information plate to the side of the cross: Santa Eulalia, martyred at the age of thirteen.

There was, he thought, some small comfort in speculating that the Roman executioner, embarrassed at punishing a child, had at least let her die in her favourite smock.

By Ken Towl

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tim Goldstone says

    July 26, 2022 at 7:03 am

    Excellent.

    Reply
  2. Michael Slagle says

    July 26, 2022 at 11:24 am

    Brilliant creation! Each of the 101 words is like a pointillist teasingly revealing a masterpiece stroke-by-stroke.

    Reply
    • Ken says

      July 27, 2022 at 8:02 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
  3. Sonja McGiboney says

    July 27, 2022 at 7:26 am

    Exactly what Michael Slagle said! Well done! I can learn from that.

    Reply
    • Ken says

      July 27, 2022 at 3:39 pm

      What a lovely comment! Thank you!

      Reply
  4. Terra says

    July 27, 2022 at 2:21 pm

    Outstanding. I am impressed.

    Reply
  5. Christine says

    July 27, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    Oh boy, that got me.

    Reply
  6. Lakshmy says

    July 27, 2022 at 9:50 pm

    Loved it! The last line nailed it all!

    Reply
    • Ken says

      July 28, 2022 at 9:55 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
    • Ken says

      July 28, 2022 at 6:52 pm

      “Nailed it!” I am still wondering if, considering that the 101 woerds describes a crucifixion, if your choice of words was deliberate.

      Reply
  7. Yogi says

    July 28, 2022 at 2:21 am

    Outstanding!

    Reply
  8. Johnson says

    July 28, 2022 at 5:28 am

    This is sheer brilliance. ? ?

    Reply
    • Ken says

      July 28, 2022 at 9:54 am

      Hi Johnson, Your comment is very encouraging. Thank you.

      Reply
  9. Cheryll Ganzel says

    July 28, 2022 at 6:02 am

    That was no little effort. Brilliant.

    Reply
    • Ken says

      July 28, 2022 at 9:53 am

      Hi Cheryl. Yes, very short story but it took a lot of work.

      Reply
  10. Cathryn says

    July 28, 2022 at 11:39 am

    Hello,
    I totally agree with Lakshmy about the fantastic twist at the end!
    The problem for me was the polysyllabic, verbose opening lines with several descriptive elements that could have been eliminated (just as my overwrought sentence should be edited!!!).

    Reply
    • Ken says

      July 28, 2022 at 6:55 pm

      Hi Cathryn, I am not sure why I would want to eliminate description or be monosyllabic. A matter of taste, I suppose.

      Reply
  11. Liz says

    August 12, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    Superb. Thank you.

    Reply

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